Where Broken Hearts Go
by Aya Kiana
Summary: Inuyasha is a recent high school graduate living in Tokyo. His life takes an unexpected turn when he starts having weird dreams about a girl he's never met. He soon encounters the ghost of his dream girl, who is in search of help. But can there be a happily ever after for the dead?
1. The Mysterious Dream

A/N: So, I have a new story! Inuyasha is an ordinary guy in Tokyo who has just graduated high school and is now trying to get into a decent college and having a hard time with it. Please review and tell me what you think!

**Where Broken Hearts Go**

**Chapter 1: The Mysterious Dream**

**By: Aya Kiana**

Inuyasha Takahashi looked out the window of his 5th floor Tokyo apartment and released a heavy sigh. Taxis covered the streets and tried to get through the crowds of people bustling hurriedly to their destinations. It was still early morning and the sight of the sun rising behind the multitudes of high rise apartments would have taken anyone's breath away. But nobody in this concrete jungle had any time for things like the sun, including Inuyasha. High school and graduation were still fresh in his mind and his heart yearned for the simplicity of the world of detention and truant officers that he would never return to.

He laughed dryly. How Ironic! When he was in high school he would have done anything to get out, but now that he was finally free he would give anything to be back in. After graduation, reality slapped him in the face, and it hurt like a bitch! It had never occurred to the inattentive teenager that once he graduated his older brother, Sesshomaru, would stop paying his rent and sending him care packages. How he wished he could be a freeloader forever!

Inuyasha had no parents, at least not anymore. They had died some years ago in a car accident. Inuyasha had been just a kid then. He was raised by his older brother, Sesshomaru, who had been in college when the accident took place. Even though he was looking after his delinquent of a brother, Sesshomaru still managed to graduate with honors and get a well paying job at one of Tokyo's top companies. _The jerk!_ Inuyasha fumed to himself. Sesshomaru had made sure Inuyasha at least went to school. They even lived together up until work got so busy that Inuyasha was too much to deal with at home. So, when he was in 10th grade, Sesshomaru got him his own apartment.

Truthfully, Inuyasha had never even considered college, but he recently realized that to make it in the world, especially in Tokyo, you needed a college education of some kind. He began wishing he had taken high school a bit more seriously. Of course, he had failed his entrance exams and was now an official ronin. He had a part time job and was attending cram school. He never got enough sleep and was working himself to death. What had he ever done to deserve this? He sighed again and refrained from answering his own question. The answer would be even more depressing. Luckily for him, today was Sunday. The only day of the week on which he did not have to attend classes or work. _So why the hell did I wake up so early?_ He asked himself, annoyed. With a sigh, hewalked away from the window and climbed back into bed.

* * *

_Inuyasha stared out into an empty and desolate forest. He blinked and looked all around. As usual, his bangs hung in his face, but instead of being the normal dark shade of his hair, they were white. "Where am I?" He asked the emptiness around him. No answer came, just the sound of the wind moving through the trees. The loneliness was eating away at his soul. He began searching for someone, anyone that could tell him where he was. "Is anybody here?" He shouted, but his voice only echoed back. He started running. He could see a tall tree in the distance and found himself being drawn to it._

_When he approached it, he saw how truly massive it was. There was one part of it that looked almost bare. Something about this tree, this forest, seemed familiar to him. It felt like a long forgotten home. He continued searching for a way out of the forest and he came to a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a square, wooden well. It looked ancient. Inuyasha approached it and looked down inside. About ten feet down was a dirt floor with what appeared to be bones half buried in the dirt. He felt a sharp pain pierce through his heart. He could feel his whole body shaking with the pain of a great loss. It felt like a part of his soul was just beyond this well, and, for reasons he couldn't explain, he jumped into it. Everything around him went black, and there was utter silence. "Did you forget me, Inuyasha?"_

Inuyasha bolted up only to find himself still in his room. "Just a dream..." He was sweating badly and he was tired. He threw his covers off and opened his window. He sat back down on his bed as his mind contemplated the dream. The weirdest part was the girl that called out to him in the end. Her voice had sounded so familiar, but he just couldn't place it. Then again, that's how everything had been in that dream. It was a serious case of dejavu. Perhaps he had known the girl when he was younger. Then again probably not, since she sounded about his age. He remembered what she had said. _"Did you forget me, Inuyasha?"_ If he had ever known her, then the answer to the question was obviously yes. But why had she sounded like she was in so much pain? She must have cared for him deeply. Suddenly, he realized who it must have been: his mother. That was the only person he could think of, but that didn't seem to fit. He was in 6th grade when his parents died. Sure he didn't think about them too often anymore, nor did he remember much about them, but still, it's not like he had forgotten them completely. Besides, the voice was too young to be his mothers. Then who?

The phone rang, tearing Inuyasha from his thoughts. He strolled over to his desk and picked it up. "Hello?... Yeah, count me in!" Inuyasha stole a glance at the clock. It was 1:30. "Okay, I'll meet you guys in about an hour. I gotta take a shower." He began to undress as his friend chatted away on the other end of the line. "Later." He hung up and tossed the phone on his bed, all thoughts of the dream and the mysterious girl gone from his head.

* * *

The freezing wind bit into Inuyasha and caused a chill to run down his spine. Not even a heavy coat was enough to keep out the bitter cold that came with the season. Christmas was only two weeks away and Inuyasha needed to start saving up so that he could buy Christmas presents. A night on the town was always fun, but he really needed to stop spending money on things he couldn't afford.

The sound of the subway slowing to a stop beside him and the announcements being made over the speaker tore him from his thoughts. He quietly boarded the crowded subway and, seeing that there were no available seats, took a spot in the center of the aisle. The area around him grew more compact as people boarded at various stops. It was normal for this time of year. Everyone was busy trying to finish up their Christmas shopping and visiting family and friends in the city. An older man shoved Inuyasha to the side to make room for his wife, causing Inuyasha to bump into the girl standing beside him. She momentarily quit fidgeting with her cell phone to glance up at him questioningly. "Sorry..." He muttered apologetically.

"S'okay." She flashed him a quick smile, though to Inuyasha it seemed a little forced, and continued pressing various buttons on her cell. Finally, she brought it to her ear and listened carefully. It was loud enough that Inuyasha, who had very good hearing, could make out everything being said with ease. _'Friday, December 1st 2006' _The mechanical voice rattled off.

_December 1st?_ Inuyasha thought puzzeled. _But today is the 15th. Why is she just now listening to a message over 2 weeks old?_

_'Hey, Yuka.' _Inuyasha listened carefully as the message played, curiosity getting the better of him. _'I'm almost to the station so it'll be about ten minutes. What movie are we seeing again?' _The girl in the message sounded like her mind was far away from the subject of movies. There was a certain sadness to her tone that sounded so familiar to him. Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. _That's her!_ His mind screamed. He didn't want to make it obvious that he had been eaves dropping, but he absolutely had to know who that girl was. She had the exact same voice as the girl from his dream.

"Excuse me?" He cautiously turned to the girl beside him who was busy putting her phone back into her purse.

"Yea?" She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Who were you talking to just now?" He tried not to sound too nosy. The girl gave him a quizzical look.

"My friend." She said hesitantly.

"Oh!" Inuyasha mused, _Like I didn't already know that!_' "What's her name?" He tried to make it sound like small talk.

"Forget it! She wouldn't be interested in you!" She gave him a glare and turned away. Inuyasha thought about responding with Well that's not what she said last night!' But decided against it since the girl would probably get the wrong idea. He noticed that under her coat she was wearing a junior high uniform composed of a short green skirt and a long white blouse. _I wonder if her friend goes to the same school?_ He thought silently.

Snow plummeted down as he exited the subway station and started walking the short distance to his apartment. Once again, he was wiped out and felt that he could sleep for hours. Too bad he needed to be at work by 8:00 a.m.

* * *

_There was nothing but darkness. Darkness was all he could see. It engulfed his entire body and everything around it. He took a few hesitant steps forward with his arms outstretched in case he were to bump into something. He turned left and right but never came to anything. Finally, his foot hit a hard object. It came to about a few inches below his waist. He reached down to touch it and his hand gripped a piece of wood a couple inches thick. He traced the rim of it and found that it made a square shape. There was nothing inside of the square as far down as he could reach. _It's that well..._ He listened but heard nothing. _But I'm not in the forest. Then where?_ He turned around and continued walking. After a few steps his foot hit something hard again._

_He knelt down and felt the area in front of him. It seemed to be steps. He began climbing the stairs slowly and almost fell when he reached the top and tried to take another step. There was a small sliver of light running vertically in front of him. He walked up to it and realized that it was a door. He pulled it open and gazed out at what appeared to be a courtyard covered in inches of snow. _

_The moon gave off enough light see by and Inuyasha looked at everything around him. There was a house a few yards away with a tall red entrance to a Shrine. In the far off distance he could see the lights of Tokyo. He turned to the left and saw the silhouette of a girl standing in front of a huge tree. _That's the same tree that was in my other dream!_ He thought the girl was wearing the same school uniform as the girl on the train. Her head was bent, and since it was dark he couldn't see her face, but he could see that she had long black hair that stopped about halfway down her back. He started to run toward her but tripped and fell face first into the snow._

Inuyasha opened his eyes to see that he was still in his bedroom tangled up in his sheets. He blinked a few times and groaned. That was it! He was going to find out who that girl was if it was the last thing he ever did!


	2. The Ghost From the Wishing Well

A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Nichibotsu means sunset in Japanese. Since the Higurashi Shrine is also called the Sunset shrine, I decided to give the school the same name. Don't forget to review!

**Where Broken Hearts Go**

**Chapter 2: The Ghost From the Wishing Well**

**By: Aya Kiana**

All through work, the dream Inuyasha had had the night before plagued him. He was sure the voice he heard in his first dream belonged to the girl he had seen in his most recent one. However, he didn't recognize her at all. It was so unlike him to let a simple dream bug him so much that he would actually try to find a girl he's not even sure exists. And why had the same well and tree been in both his dreams in completely different locations? Could the shrine have been built where there was once a forest? No matter what he tried to do he couldn't take his mind off it. His boss scolded him a couple times for spacing out. He was a waiter at a local pub, but it was never busy during the morning shift so it didn't matter if he fell behind too much.

After work, Inuyasha walked around Tokyo. The only way he could think of to find out which school she went to was to look for a girl with the same uniform and then ask her what school gave that uniform. It was almost 3:30, so students should just now be getting out. He went to a popular shopping center and kept his eyes peeled for young girls wearing green and white. He continued walking for well over an hour. Just as he was about to give up and go home, two girls turned the corner in front of him with the exact same uniform as the girl from the train. It had a short green skirt, a white shirt with green cuffs and a red bow. Now he had to ask the girls what school they attended without making himself look like a stalker.

As he was about to pass them he cleared his throat to get their attention and then said as politely as possible, "Excuse me, um, could you please tell me what school issues the uniform that you're wearing?" The girls blinked a couple times before the one closest to him replied.

"Sure. It's Nichibotsu Junior High's uniform. Why d'ya ask?"

"Oh, uh... my little sister, uh... wants to go to a school with a green uniform, and... I didn't know there was one. Thanks."

"Ok... no problem." The girl didn't seem to completely buy his story, either that or she thought it a little strange. Inuyasha didn't really care. _So_, he thought to himself, _It's Nichibotsu, huh?_ He exited the mall and found a pay phone. Flipping through the phone book, under public schools there was, sure enough, a Nichibotsu listed. It was some distance away and Inuyasha opted to take a cab.

After paying the taxi driver his fare, he approached the school and was glad to see that it was still open. There must be evening classes in session. Inuyasha decided that since he didn't know the girls name his best bet was to try the yearbook despite the fact that he wasn't completely sure what she looked like either. He went to the office and found a secretary.

"Excuse me?" he said upon entering. The woman turned away from her keyboard and looked up at him. She was an elderly woman, probably in her sixties. Her hair was starting to grey and she had a few wrinkles.

"May I help you, sir?" She asked politely.

"Yes, may I see a copy of this years yearbook." He smiled as he spoke. He wasn't sure if schools were suppose to do this sort of thing and decided it would help to get on the woman's good side.

"Certainly. I have a copy of it in the library. Please follow me." She stood and headed for the office doorway.

"Thanks," Inuyasha replied as he followed her out into the hall. They walked up a flight of stairs and continued down the hallway on the second floor. At the end of the hall the old woman opened a door and led him into the library. Without saying a word she went behind the desk and after a moment of digging around, handed him the 2006 annual.

Inuyasha sat down at a nearby table and began flipping through it. He decided to try the ninth graders first since the girl in his dream and the girl on the train both seemed too old to be in junior high. As he turned the page, his eyes instantly locked on the girl he had seen the previous day on the subway. Under her picture was the name _'Yuka Kurenai'_. He recalled the message the girl had listened to on her cell phone. The girl leaving the message called her friend Yuka. It had to be the same girl! He flipped through the section twice more but didn't see anyone he recognized. All he had really been able to tell from seeing her shaded figure in the dream was that her hair reached to the middle of her back and was straight.

The old secretary aproached him and asked, "Did you find everything you need?"

"Not yet. Are you familiar with the students here. The ninth graders?" She nodded.

"I've been the librarian here for twenty years, and I help with secretary work in the afternoons." She smiled and sounded very pleased with herself for being such a vital member of the school. Inuyasha thought that she seemed like a nice lady. His librarian had been a nagging bitch, although that's probably because he used to stick gum under the tables almost everyday.

"Do you recognize this girl?" He pointed to Yuka as he asked his question.

"Yes, she was one of my library aides. Why?"

"Well, I'm actually looking for the name of a friend of hers, but I can't really remember what she looks like. Can you show me some of the girls she hung out with?" The woman smiled faintly and turned a few pages in the annual.

"This girl here, Ayumi Kurosawa, and her were pretty close." The girl had curly black hair that went slightly passed her shoulders.

"That isn't her." Inuyasha said quickly.

"Ok, well here's another of her friends, Eri Murasaki." This girl had shoulder length hair pulled back with a hair band.

"No, that's not her either. She had long, black hair." When he said this, he saw the librarian frown. Her cheery personality was suddenly replaced with a depressed look.

"You must mean Kagome Higurashi." She said quietly as she turned back a page and pointed to a girl that fit Inuyasha's description perfectly. When he saw her picture, he wondered how he had ever missed it. She was smiling brightly, quiet unlike how she had sounded in the message. She had a slender figure and sparkling blue eyes. Inuyasha couldn't believe anyone could have ever forgotten a girl like her.

"That's her. I'm positive!" He said partially to himself and partly to the old woman. He smiled, proud that he had actually been able to find a girl he knew next to nothing about. The librarian released a loud sigh and looked into Inuyasha's eyes.

"Did you know her?" she asked quietly.

"Kinda, umm... I had forgotten her last name and wanted to look her up in the phone book. You've been a great help." He was about to stand when she put her hand on his shoulder. He noticed that she was giving him a very sympathetic look.

"Don't try to call her." She said slowly.

"Why not?" Inuyasha had no idea where this was going.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Miss Higurashi died in a car accident two weeks ago." The old woman looked close to tears.

"A car accident?" He couldn't think of what to say. "How?" He finally managed to ask in a soft voice close to a whisper.

"She had been very upset all week. No one knew why, but for some reason she was very depressed. Her friends, the three other girls I mentioned, invited her to the movies to try and lift her spirits, but..." The librarian could hardly finish her voice was so shaky. "On the way there... she was hit by a speeding car while crossing the street."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. The girl he was looking for was dead. He remember the message from Yuka's cell phone. _'Hey, Yuka._ _I'm almost to the station so it'll be about ten minutes. What movie are we seeing again?'_ No wonder the girl had jumped all over him when he inquired about her friend! That message must have been the last contact she ever had with anyone that knew her. He thanked the librarian and exited the school after asking her one final question.

* * *

Inuyasha stood in the dead grass that covered the cemetery. The wind was freezing, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Sunset wasn't too far off, and the sky was a dark gray. All around him were graves covered in flowers. The one in front of him was exceptionally beautiful. There were over a dozen bouquet's of various kinds of roses, tulips, and mixtures of all kinds of colors. The dirt was still fresh and grass had yet to grow over the packed earth. He read the writing carefully. It wasn't much, but it was pleasant.

_Kagome Higurashi_

_April 15, 1991 - December 1, 2006_

_May her spirit return to_

_where it truly longs to be._

_What does THAT mean?_ Inuyasha asked himself, puzzled. _Where does she truly long to be? Does it have something to do with why she was depressed that week?_ _If she had been paying more attention she probably would have had time to get out of the way. Poor girl. Maybe she got dumped?_ Whatever had happened, he now had no way of ever finding out how he had known her. He left the cemetery and started walking back to his apartment.

On the way, he passed a sign that said _'Sunset Shrine'_ in large letters. Recognizing it as the same name as the girl's school and remembering the shrine in his dream, he decided to check it out. He walked up what seemed to him to be the never ending stairway to heaven and upon reaching the top saw a large courtyard covered in concrete. Standing near a small hut was the same huge tree he had seen in his dreams. He walked over and put his hand against it. He suddenly felt depressed about not having been able to talk to the girl. He turned around and looked at the house. A sign in front of it said _'Welcome to the Higurashi Shrine'_. _Higurashi? Then, she lived here!_ Inuyasha could hardly believe it. Not only had he seen the girl in his dream, he had also seen her house! _But I've never been here in my life!_ he screamed to himself inside his head.

He heard something to his right creak and turned to see an old, dilapidated hut. He remembered the well in his dream had been in a small building like this one. Sure enough, when he opened the doors he saw a square, wooden dry well just like in his dream. He walked down the steps and stood a few feet in front of it. He was seriously freaked! Why in the hell was he having those stupid dreams?

He was about to turn and leave when he heard quiet sobs coming form somewhere behind him. He turned around and saw nothing but the well. The sobs continued to fill his ears and he realized someone must be down inside the well crying. Inuyasha felt a little uncomfortable but decided to try and comfort the person anyway. After all, it was probably one of the girl's siblings crying for their sister.

"Excuse me?" he shouted as he looked down into the well. His face went white. He hardly believed what he saw. Sitting against the wall of the well clutching her knees to her chest was none other than the girl that he had seen in his dream, Kagome Higurashi. She had on her school uniform and a brown coat. She was slightly see through but she was definitely there. Other than that she looked just like any other girl.

Inuyasha wanted to scream but was so scared and shocked that he could hardly breathe. Kagome was now looking up at him. He could see that her eyes were red and she had tears stains running down her cheeks. She looked so sad, so lonely, so helpless that Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to run away. After recovering from the shock and deciding that he hadn't had a heart attack, Inuyasha called out to the girl in a shaky voice.

"Kagome?" he barely managed to get it out. He listened carefully for her reply, although he wasn't really expecting one. He looked back down into the well to see that she was staring at him with a shocked expression on her face. He was silently amazed that she didn't disappear.

"You can see me?" she hollered back hopefully, her expression changing to one of utter surprise.


	3. A Heartfelt Haunting

A/N: Hey guys! I know that I haven't updated this story in forever but I was busy. School is so busy. In fact, I should be doing a research paper on Victor Hugo right now for my Honors English class but oh well! Enjoy and make sure to review!

**Where Broken Hearts Go**

**By Aya Kiana**

**Chapter Three: A Heartfelt Haunting**

"So lonely inside,

So busy out there,

And all you wanted

Was somebody who cares."

- Michelle Branch

"Hey, Inu Man, boss says you got some people on table three!" Inuyasha looked up to see his friend and coworker Kouga coming into the kitchen. He looked down at the running water of the sink faucet and remembered he had been washing his hands.

_Damn it! I really need to quit spacing out like this!_ He berated himself. He turned back to Kouga and regarded him cockily. "Do you have to keep calling me Inu Man? It's kinda weird…"

Kouga shrugged and began filling large mugs with various kinds of beer. "It's your fault your parents had an interesting taste in names. Besides, Inuyasha's not much better than Inu Man."

Inuyasha sighed and began drying his hands on a dish towel. "I wouldn't know a thing about their tastes. I don't remember them at all."

Kouga gave him a disbelieving look as he turned to lean against the counter. "But I thought you told me they died when you were in grade school. Surely you'd still remember something about them."

"Nah, not a thing. As weird as it is, I don't really remember anything about when I was a kid." Kouga's face adopted a very thoughtful look. It was something that people always found shocking, but Inuyasha really couldn't remember a single thing about his childhood. It wasn't that weird to him. He just always thought he was really forgetful.

"No, I guess you wouldn't, would you?" Kouga replied as he turned to deliver the drinks he was carrying.

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"Nothing," Kouga said calmly, "Don't forget about table three. You don't want the boss on you again."

Inuyasha continued to stare at the swinging door Kouga had just left through. "What did he mean by that?" Inuyasha asked himself.

* * *

The cold wind bit into Inuyasha's skin as he made his way down the busy Tokyo streets on his way to the subway. All the stores were lit up for Christmas and people all around him were laughing and carrying on rather loud conversations, but Inuyasha was busy thinking about what Kouga had said.

Kouga had always been kind of weird. He had started working at the pub a few weeks after Inuyasha and had taken an instant liking to him. It was almost creepy. The first day or two he would catch Kouga watching him and then quickly turn away. After a while they had become pretty good friends and Kouga had asked Inuyasha a lot about his life. He had been really interested in Inuyasha's love life, asking him if he had a girlfriend or if he had any girls he was at all close to. Naturally, Inuyasha had been pretty creeped out and had thought that Kouga must be into guys. But when he had finally asked him about it and then explained to a very insulted Kouga his reasons for suspecting it, the boy had nearly died laughing, though to this day Inuyasha still had no idea what had been so funny.

Kouga wasn't gay. In fact, there were all kinds of girls after him. Since Inuyasha had known him, he had had several different girlfriends, though none of them ever lasted that long. He once told Inuyasha that he had been in love with a girl a long time ago, but he hadn't seen her in forever. He had explained to Inuyasha that he still loved that girl and that that was why he couldn't commit to a long-term relationship with any of the other girls he dated.

As for himself, Inuyasha hadn't really had any serious girlfriends. He was too much of a bad ass in high school to ever attract any of the girls he was interested in. He sighed to himself and finally gave up on trying to extract any meaning out of what Kouga had said to him at the pub. _He's just a moron,_ Inuyasha thought to himself.

* * *

Inuyasha stared up at his plain white ceiling as he lay awake on his bed. It had been a long day, and now was really the first chance he had had to think about what happened earlier at the shrine. _Was she really there?_ he questioned himself, wondering for a moment if he was losing it. The girl had just disappeared in the blink of an eye, just poof… gone. "Maybe I imagined it." He told himself skeptically. But inside he knew that was impossible. She had been real. He could still see her tear-stained face so clearly. All day, he hadn't been able to get that image out of his mind. He yawned and rolled over onto his stomach, pressing his cheek against his pillow. He couldn't rid himself of the feeling that he knew the girl somehow. Perhaps they had been friends when they were little? Inuyasha's thoughts drifted as his mind slowly slipped into unconsciousness and he fell asleep.

Kagome's blue eyes surveyed the apartment's only bedroom. It was small and various articles of clothing littered the floor. Her eyes stopped their search as she fixed her gaze on the boy sleeping soundly in the bed. She didn't know how, but he had been able to see her. _Why?_ She asked herself curiously. The boy made a grunting noise in his sleep and rolled over, causing his body to become entangled in the sheets. _He knew my name._ She told herself, _Maybe he knew me…_

Kagome's frown deepened, and she felt close to tears for the millionth time since she had woken up in the well. She couldn't remember anything about her life. Upon awakening in the well, she knew two things: that her name was Kagome and that she was a ghost. She had spent the last two weeks watching what she assumed to be her family mourning her death. It had been depressing as hell. A middle-aged woman, an old man, and a young boy lived at the shrine she had awoken to. People would come to visit who were usually about her age, and she would sit on top of the well house and watch them cry. Who were they, she'd wonder. Were they crying for her?

A freezing wind blew Kagome's raven black hair and brought her out of her reverie. "Great," she whispered to herself, "This guy's too stupid to close his window even though it's 20 degrees outside." She floated over to his bedside and shut the window. She had tried so hard to remember them, all those people that she was sure she knew or had known at some point. None of them had been able to see her, not even her family. So, why this boy? What made him so special? "I wish I could remember you…" she whispered softly as she ran her hand across his cheek.

Inuyasha opened sleep heavy eyes upon hearing the alarm clock on his night stand begin its infernal shrieking. He glanced at the time as he hit the button to make the alarm stop. It was 7:30. "Damn, I work the morning shift today, don't I? Why the hell does a pub have a morning shift anyway? Stupid, drunken bastards that have to get shit-faced before it's even noon…" he moaned out as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes absent-mindedly.

Kagome blinked in shock at her companion's colorful vocabulary. He didn't seem to notice her at all. She sat crossed-legged at the end of his bed and tried to get his attention. _Crap!_ She thought to herself. _He can't see me now!_ Inuyasha got up and started digging through some drawers and throwing more clothes on the floor. Every now and then he'd sniff something and then crinkle his nose up and toss it over his shoulder. Kagome blushed at seeing that he was a slob, but had to admit he was a very good-looking slob.

After throwing on a t-shirt and a slightly baggy pair of jeans, Inuyasha went into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth. Kagome followed him into the tiny room. It was pretty simple. There was a toilet in the corner and a bathtub/shower built into the wall beside it. Across from those was a sink with a sliding glass cabinet under it and a very large mirror on the wall above it. She turned back toward Inuyasha when she heard a strange noise and realized that he was gargling. He spit into the sink, cupped some water to his hands and brought it to his mouth to rinse the peppermint taste away.

Then, a really strange thing happened. Inuyasha looked back up into the mirror and saw a girl standing behind him in the reflection. His entire body froze in fear. Kagome noticed the change in Inuyasha and watched him carefully. When several minutes had passed without him so much as blinking, Kagome cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Inuyasha tore out of his apartment as fast as his legs could take him and didn't stop until he was on the subway heading into the busiest part of Tokyo. "Holy shit!" He fumed to himself. "That freakin' dead chick followed me home!" The girl next to him gave him a look, and Inuyasha made a mental note to keep comments like that to himself in the future.

* * *

Inuyasha arrived at the pub a few minutes later. He cast a cautious glance behind him before heading to the back of the building to change into his work uniform. "Yo, Inu Man!" The familiar greeting reached his ears as he came out into the kitchen. "So, you're working the early shift today too?" Kouga flashed him a crooked smile before turning back toward the dishes he was washing.

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered quietly as he looked about the room. "I have classes tonight." Kouga observed his friend's actions curiously. Inuyasha didn't seem to be all there at the moment.

"You okay, man?" Kouga asked as he turned off the sink and faced Inuyasha.

"Yeah, there's just some weird stuff going on." He stammered out, caught off guard by the question.

Kouga seemed to be interested by this remark. "Like what?" he asked nonchalantly.

"There's a dead girl after me." Inuyasha replied without missing a beat. At that, Kouga busted out laughing. Once again, Inuyasha didn't quite get what was so funny. Kouga was just one of those people that found humor in everything. "I'm serious!"

"Are you necrophiliac, Inuyasha?" Kouga managed to ask when he had regained some of his composure.

"Huh?!" was Inuyasha's intelligent response. Kouga died laughing again when he saw a look disgust and horror spread across Inuyasha's face.

"Whatever, Inu Man! I gotta go before we're both fired!" Kouga said, still laughing slightly, as he left through the swinging doors and went into the main dining room of the pub.

Kagome had sat cross-legged in mid-air listening to the two friends' conversation. She had tried to listen for some clue to jog her memory or at least give her some kind of hint. However, it seemed that the boy didn't know her after all. A disappointed sigh escaped her lips as her hopes began to crumble and die, causing her spirit to return to melancholy. But at that moment, her ears picked up the name Inuyasha. She could almost see a flashing red light go off in her brain at the mention of the name. It sounded so familiar. _Think!_ She told herself. _Think!_ The image of a forest flashed into her mind. She raised her hands to her temples as she tried to force her brain to probe deeper into her lost memory. The harder she tried to concentrate, the hotter she felt. Kagome screamed as the pain of trying to remember became too unbearable.

Inuyasha stared wide-eyed at the long, raven haired girl as she sat with her knees out in front of her and her legs slanting to opposite sides on the kitchen floor. Her body was covered in burning flames and her hands were pressed onto her head as her face contorted into an expression of pure agony and she let out a blood curdling shriek. The apparition looked up at him with pleading eyes and his heart skipped a beat.

Kagome reached a fiery hand out toward the boy who was regarding her with so much shock and sympathy. "Help me!" she cried pathetically, but Inuyasha didn't move. "Please help me!" She screamed once more as her hand fell to the floor by her side. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the floor and sobbed silently. After a moment, she looked back up at the boy standing in front of her. "You can't hear me." She whispered hopelessly as she stared at him. "No one can hear me."

Inuyasha gazed on the same tear-stricken face he had seen the day before. Though he had heard nothing but her scream, he could tell she wanted him to help her. What could he do? How was he supposed to know what he could possibly do for her? He cast one last glance at her and could see all the misery she felt reflected in her dazzling cerulean eyes. He just couldn't let her suffer like this. "I… I don't know if I can do anything to help you, but I'm gonna try." He said firmly as he stared into her tear filled eyes, and as she began to fade, a small, sorrowful smile spread across her lips.


	4. Psychic Vibrations

A/N: To say that it's been forever since I last updated would be an understatement. In the last six years since I looked at this story, I've graduated both high school and college. I now find myself with a rare amount of free time. I've always enjoyed writing, but throughout college I only ever had time for papers (lots of them). I'd really love to be a writer one day, but I need to get back into the swing of creative writing. So, I've decided to resume this fanfiction as a way to practice. My apologies if the style comes across as overly formal at times. That's part of the academic writing habit that I'm trying to overcome. For now, I only plan to work on this story, but I may decide to continue the other fanfiction I'd left off if anyone shows any interest in it. (Who am I kidding? Who is still reading after a 6 year hiatus? Oh well, I may pick it up again anyway.) As always, please review!

**Where Broken Hearts Go**

**Chapter 4: Psychic Vibrations**

**By: Aya Kiana**

The next few days of Inuyasha's life were stressful to say the least. Wherever he went, the ghost of Kagome Higurashi seemed to follow. He saw her reflection everywhere, in his bathroom mirror, puddles on the pavement, shopping windows when he walked down the street, even in the water glasses he served at work. It was like living in a horror movie. However, very rarely was Kagome herself visible to him. Her tangibility seemed to be linked to her emotions. After all, she never appeared to him in any sort of a regular mood. Early on he only saw her when she was crying and in distress. Then, the day after the incident at the pub, Inuyasha was in the middle of changing when he caught something moving in the corner of his eye. He turned to find none other than Kagome Higurashi sitting on his desk, her face a deep crimson and her eyes gazing at him very intently. After a moment, she seemed to realize he was looking at her and began squirming around uncomfortably, shaking her head back and forth as if she wished she could disappear.

Suddenly Inuyasha felt his own face heating up. _Why am I embarrassed to be seen by a ghost? _He didn't like the thought that a ghost could get him worked up, even the ghost of a girl as cute as Kagome Higurashi. Nonetheless, he made a point of changing in his bathroom from that point on.

The following evening, Inuyasha lay awake and thought back on the events of the past week. Despite his promise, the last couple days had been too full of prep class and work for him to put much thought into what he was now calling 'The Higurashi Situation.' He didn't really feel that they were on first name basis yet. Not only had he been busy, but there was also the little problem that he still didn't know exactly what it was that Kagome wanted him to do for her. Honestly, how do you help a ghost? Did she need directions for how to cross over? Inuyasha wasn't exactly in the know when it came to matters of the occult.

"Oi, Higurashi-san!" He called suddenly and waited. The room remained still around him, and Inuyasha realized he wasn't even sure what he was waiting for. Hard to tell if you've gotten the attention of a person who can't respond vocally or be seen.

Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, Kagome was closer than he thought. As he lounged stretched out on his bed, Kagome sat next to him, so close that they were separated by a mere few inches. Hearing Inuyasha call out suddenly tore Kagome from her reverie, and it was a moment before she recognized the name he'd spoken as belonging to her. She watched him intently and waited for him to continue.

"So... I've been thinking. I know I promised to help you, and I still intend to. Thing is, it'd probably help if I knew what you want..." Inuyasha couldn't help but feel like an idiot. He'd never attempted to speak to her before without being able to see her. He was sure she was there, and yet if anyone had been looking down on him at this moment, it would have looked as though he were carrying on a conversation with his ceiling.

Kagome frowned. Even if she were capable of answering him, she didn't know what to say. What did she want? She wasn't exactly sure what it was that was wrong. It's not like she was any kind of expert on the after life, but she was fairly certain it wasn't supposed to be this way, wandering and lonely and without a soul living or dead that she could talk to. What Kagome wanted were answers, only she was sure that Inuyasha was even more lost in all this than she was.

_Still,_ Kagome thought as she cast a glance at Inuyasha, _I'd rather have him here than nobody._

Inuyasha abruptly resumed their one-sided dialogue. "I have no idea how to proceed with this, but I'm guessing you can't exactly tell me..." Kagome thought he looked frustrated. "All I can think is to talk to that Yuka chick again. But it's already December 21st! Schools have let out for the year by now. I don't know how I'd track her down, and without her uniform on I doubt I'd even recognize her if she happened to pass me in the street." By this point he was practically growling. Kagome didn't know whether to feel guilty for causing him all this trouble or grateful for the fact that he was so interested in her problem despite apparently not knowing her at all.

Inuyasha seemed to think their situation was pretty hopeless, but what he said gave Kagome an idea of her own. After he had finally dropped off to sleep, she soared out into the frigid night air in search of her family's shrine and something she hoped would shine a light on their quest.

* * *

The next morning, Inuyasha went about his routine as usual. Since it was a Sunday, he allowed himself the luxury of a couple extra hours of sleep before heading for the shower. All week he had intended to devote Sunday to delving deeper into the Higurashi Situation, but now that it had arrived he still didn't know where to start.

Inuyasha figured the shower was as good a place to think as any. Besides, his crap apartment always stayed so damn cold this time of year that it was hard not to linger under the faucet of steaming water. He ran a hand through his short hair as the water cascaded over him and tried to focus on the problem at hand, but no new ideas came to him. Ten minutes passed this way to no avail.

_Whatever... _Inuyasha thought to himself as he gave up trying and turned off the faucet. He stepped out into the steam-filled bathroom and began absently toweling his hair when the mirror suddenly caught his attention. Thanks to a certain restless spirit, he had been trying his best lately to avoid anything that showed a reflection, particularly when he was in the middle of a personal moment such as, say, standing around mostly naked. This time, however, it wasn't Kagome in the mirror. Large, sprawling letters jumped out at him from the steam-fogged glass that read "Kurenai Yuka" followed by an address. Inuyasha could hardly believe it, but he had his lead. He made sure to pull on boxers before stepping hesitantly out into the chilly apartment air and mumbling, "Umm, thanks," to the solitude of his apartment.

* * *

About an hour later, Inuyasha found himself standing outside the door to Yuka's home. Despite being his idea, the somewhat anxious teenager wasn't crazy about this arrangement. How exactly was he supposed to broach the subject with her anyway? She'd jumped all over him on the train just for asking her friend's name...

Reminding himself that, yes, this really was his only option if he wanted to learn anything about Kagome, he rang the doorbell. He didn't have to wait long. A moment later, the same short-haired girl he'd met on the train was standing before him. "Hi..." he began lamely.

"The guy from the train?" The question sounded more directed at herself than Inuyasha. In his opinion, she half looked like she wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his face.

Before she had the chance, Inuyasha blurted out, "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Kagome Higurashi." _That certainly got her attention_, he thought as a clearly surprised expression passed over Yuka's face, and she opened the door somewhat wider.

"What did you say?" she asked skeptically, as if making sure she hadn't imagined it.

"I was hoping I could talk to you about Kagome Higurashi. I know the two of you were friends." Inuyasha repeated, trying not to sound too dramatic. If at all possible, he really hoped to get through this conversation without revealing to the girl before him that he was a weirdo who got stalked by dead people.

"Come inside." She said simply before turning and leading him into a sitting room. Inuyasha assumed her parents were gone to work or something, because Yuka appeared to be the only one home at the moment. At least he wouldn't have to worry about explaining himself to her entire family. "You knew Kagome?" She asked after taking a seat at a low table.

Inuyasha sat on the cushion across from her and looked down at the table as he answered. He'd never been the best at looking right at someone while lying, and somehow the fact that she was a total stranger only made it worse. "Yeah, you could say that." He really hoped she wouldn't press him on that point. Things could turn sour quick if she caught him in an out right lie, and of course the truth was out of the question. Luckily, Yuka didn't really seem to care that much.

"Then you... know about the accident?" Just like on the train, Yuka's whole persona fell as she began discussing her friend's unfortunate demise.

"Yes..." Inuyasha tried to look equally crest-fallen. "Actually, that's sorta what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping you could tell me exactly what happened."

"Why not go to her family?"

This question caught Inuyasha completely off guard. _Why didn't I think of that?_ He berated himself. At that moment, he noticed the form of none other than Kagome Higurashi herself reflected in the glass of a picture frame across the room. She was standing in the doorway just behind him. _She's here... figures. _Yuka was clearly still waiting for an answer. "Well, they don't know me, and I figured they're going through a lot right now. Besides, I thought as Kagome's best friend you'd be the one who really knew what was going on." He sincerely hoped that librarian had been right about how close these two were or he'd probably just blown his cover.

Yuka simply answered with, "I see" and continued to look thoughtful. "So, you were her boyfriend then?" With these words, she looked up at him as if to gauge his reaction. Inuyasha wasn't sure but felt that he might be walking into a trap.

"Uh..."

Thankfully, she decided to elaborate. "Kagome had a few guys that were really interested in her, but she didn't pay attention to any of them. She already had someone; she must have, only he didn't go to our school. I always thought there was probably something about him that kept her from bringing him home and showing him off to her friends. So what, are you a delinquent or something?"

"Hold on a second..." Apparently, Yuka had made up her mind as to the nature of his and Kagome's alleged "relationship." He was on the verge of setting her straight when she blurted out something that completely stole his attention.

"Was it your fault, then? You know she was really upset! She would have seen that car! She may have even had time to get out of the way, but all the witnesses said it was like she was oblivious to everything around her!" Yuka was on the verge of tears at this point. As for Inuyasha, he really didn't expect to come into this little interview and practically get accused of murder, but at least now they were on to something. Maybe whatever had upset Kagome also had something to do with what was continuing to bother her even now, beyond the grave... Something that was preventing her from resting peacefully. To find out more on that score, Inuyasha apparently had no choice but to play the role of negligent boyfriend.

"You think I had something to do with it then? Did Kagome say anything like that?" It was strange to be using her first name like this, but somehow it felt so familiar.

Yuka had calmed down a little. "No, not exactly... it was just this feeling I had." Inuyasha waited, hoping she would continue. He threw a glance at the picture on the wall and realized Kagome hadn't moved. "It was just like she was so _far away_."

Inuyasha was suddenly reminded of the epitaph on Kagome's headstone. '_May her spirit return to where it truly longs to be._' He decided to ask Yuka about it. "So what was up with that? Know anything about it?"

"The headstone?" Yuka seemed a bit unsure as she answered, "You'd probably do better to ask her family, but as far as I know... Her younger brother told me a bit about it, and well..." Either she was having trouble remembering or she really didn't know just how to word what she was about to say. "Kagome was pretty sick over the past year. She missed school a lot because of it..."

Seeing as how Yuka was taking her time, Inuyasha decided to cut in. "What did she have?"

"I'm really not even sure. Rheumatism maybe? Anyway, she must have been delirious or something, because she woke up from a fever one morning and apparently insisted that she was supposed to be somewhere else. Souta said she got seriously upset about it, like she honestly expected them to know what she was talking about."

Inuyasha was no longer following the conversation. "So, what is it she was talking about?" He asked, hoping Yuka could do a better job of explaining. He got the feeling that this went to the very core of the current situation.

"I have no idea. The only other thing Souta told me is that she was acting so crazy she jumped into the well and sprained her ankle." _The well?_ Now Inuyasha knew he was on the right track. There was no way it was a coincidence that he had seen that well in his dreams before meeting Kagome. Whatever it was that was going on, he was sure that well had something to do with it.

It was clear that Yuka didn't know anything more on that score, and Inuyasha decided to take advantage of the lull in conversation to politely take his leave. Now that Yuka brought it up, it seemed so obvious to him that he couldn't believe he hadn't made the connection before. Those dreams were what originally led him to Kagome, so clearly they must have some sort of meaning or hint to what was going on. The well was definitely a clue, and not just the well but also the tree. Still, Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something important. _"Did you forget me, Inuyasha?"_ _YES, I admit it, okay? Geez... still, maybe the biggest clue around here is me? _

* * *

Throughout the conversation between Inuyasha and Yuka, Kagome remained in the doorway attentively taking in every word. She wanted answers so badly. Why was she here? And why Inuyasha?

The name Yuka meant nothing to her. It didn't stir even the tiniest hint of a memory. Still, when she'd heard Inuyasha talking about her connection to a girl named Yuka she'd remembered an address book on the desk in her old room which, despite the fact that she'd been dead for more than two weeks now, her family had yet to touch. Sure enough, in flipping through the pages of the notebook she'd quickly come across one Kurenai Yuka. It was so obvious that Yuka had cared about her, that they had been close friends. Then why was it that only Inuyasha could see her, when he was only pretending to be in mourning?

And then of course, there was the well. Kagome had figured out long ago that the cause of her death was a car accident. Everyone at her wake had been talking about it. Yet when she first awoke to this ghostly existence she was sitting in the bottom of that well, miles from where she assumed her body to be. Since that moment, she'd gone back to the well again and again. She'd tried everything, looked everywhere, but it was just an ordinary dried up well with nothing special about it that she could see. _But Yuka said I jumped into it? Strange, why would I do something like that? _

Kagome replayed the conversation again and again inside her head as she drifted down the street behind Inuyasha, but it refused to reveal any genuine answers. Actually, she now had even more questions demanding to be answered than before she'd encountered Yuka. _Honestly, I hope Inuyasha got more out of that than I did, _she thought as a sigh escaped her lips.

As they turned the corner toward the subway, Kagome felt an unusual chill pass through her. It was impossible to mistake seeing as how it was the first time since dying that she could truly apply the word "feel" to anything. This wasn't a sensation that required a body, and in spite of her surprise Kagome had to admit that this feeling was somehow familiar. It was pulling her in, drawing her toward some particular destination. Without understanding how or why, she could sense where it originated. She absolutely had to find out what was there. The only difficulty would be how to alert Inuyasha...

Inuyasha walked toward the station as though on auto pilot, more or less oblivious to the world around him. Like Kagome, he was analyzing all the information he'd collected over the past few days, trying to make the pieces of the puzzle fit. But there were still so many holes in the story, still so many dead end leads and random variables he couldn't interpret. Had he been paying attention, he would've seen Kagome waving at him from the windows of cars parked along the street or attempting to yell at him from display windows. As it was, not until Inuyasha pulled out his cell phone to check the time did he notice Kagome screaming at him in the reflection, floating practically above his head.

After retrieving his cell from the pavement, he watched in the shop windows as Kagome pointed down the street in the direction they'd just come. She waited only a moment before her reflection in the glass began moving away from him, beckoning him to follow. It wasn't easy tracking an apparition, and there was a brief moment of confusion when Inuyasha lost sight of Kagome as she crossed the street. In the end, however, he found himself standing in front of a comic shop with Kagome's reflection staring back at him. Taped to the door was a hand-written sign that read "_Psychic Readings – __500 yen." _

_ Is she serious?_ Inuyasha asked himself as he pushed his way into the shop.

From all appearances, it was an ordinary comic store. Dimly lit, not many customers around, just boxes and shelves stuffed to bursting with manga and comics and display cases featuring scantily clad models of anime girls. Toward the back of the store was a curtain hanging in a doorway and a sign with the same scrawling print, this time featuring the words "_Miss Sachiko, Psychic_."

_Well, what have I got to lose? Aside from 500 yen..._ With that thought, Inuyasha brushed the curtain aside and stepped into the small, dark room. His first thought upon entering was how ridiculously cliché this "psychic's" set-up was. The room had clearly been converted from a janitorial closet, as attested to by the mop and bucket tucked discreetly into the corner and the tiled floor complete with a drain. The only furniture was a small round table hung with a dark table cloth and two oppositely facing chairs. To complete the picture the table was decked out with, you guessed it, a crystal ball. The only light in the room apart from what crept past the curtain came from a piece of reflective glass hung to the ceiling that created a disco ball effect, spraying tiny beams of light in all directions.

As if the room wasn't disappointing enough, the seated figure fiddling with a Gameboy was decked out in a set of cheaply made velvet robes that Inuyasha was absolutely sure he'd seen last Halloween in about a million different stores. The robes were star spangled and seemed to be purple, though it was hard to tell with the lack of lighting. In flagrant disregard of character synchronicity, this psychic was also wearing an oversized pointy black witch's hat.

"Be with you in just a moment!" A high voice chirped from within the darkness. The figure beneath the hat hadn't even bothered to look up when he'd entered. Inuyasha just stood there waiting for a few minutes as lively game music filled the compact space.

Minutes later, the music shut off as the self-proclaimed psychic set the video game to the side and hopped out of the seat. From the size of her, Inuyasha realized that she couldn't be more than 12-years-old. "Hello! I am Miss Sachiko, psychic extraordinaire! Name please?" She was pretty upbeat for a psychic...

"It's Inuyasha."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Are you serious?"

_You expect me to buy into a grade school psychic, and yet you want to know if I'M serious?_ That may have been what he wanted to say, but Inuyasha only replied with, "Dead."

"Okay then, have a seat!" Miss Sachiko was evidently an easily appeased person.

Only now did Inuyasha notice the cat curled up in the other chair. Sachiko shooed it away and motioned for him to sit down as she too resumed her seat. Even seated, Inuyasha towered over the girl before him.

"What is your will, client? Oh, and I'll need to take your payment in advance." Inuyasha found himself grudgingly handing over a 500 yen piece. _Oh well, least it's cheap..._

"So by psychic, do you mean you're a mind-reader or you can tell the future or...?" A part of Inuyasha wondered how he had gotten roped into playing make believe with some midget and actually paying for it.

"Fortune telling is my specialty!" The girl beamed at him as she answered, evidently very pleased with herself.

"Oh, well that's too bad. My problem was more ghost related." Inuyasha was already half out of his seat before Sachiko fired back without missing a beat.

"Communing with the dead is my specialty!"

All he could do was blink and reply skeptically, "Is that so?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I need more than just communing. Y'see, I'm actually trying to find out what happened to her. She's having trouble moving on."

By the rays of light spinning in the darkness, Inuyasha suddenly caught sight of Kagome perched in the corner. Not a reflection either, it was Kagome Higurashi in the flesh, or well... spirit. She wasn't paying any attention to Sachiko and didn't seem to notice Inuyasha watching her either. She was looking at something on the floor, really scrutinizing it with a puzzled expression. It was hard to make out in the shadows... just what was it?

At that moment, a ray of light flitted across the object that had gripped Kagome's interest. Inuyasha nearly fell out of his seat at the revelation. _The cat?! _Sure enough, Kagome was gazing quizzically at the small feline that had been perched on his chair a few moments before. Apparently, the furball had decided to resume it's slumber in the corner. _That's what she dragged me in here for? _Sachiko continued to chirp away in the background, but Inuyasha was no longer listening.

_What the hell is she doing?_ Inuyasha couldn't understand it. Sure, maybe she just liked cats. It was kind of interesting, looked almost Siamese from what he could tell, except that it was long-haired. But that wasn't it. Kagome wasn't looking at it with one of those "aww, how cute" expressions that were typical of girls around cats. She seemed so transfixed by it that it was like she was trying to solve the riddle of the Sphinx.

Inuyasha interrupted Sachiko mid-sentence. "Hey, what's with your cat?" The frustration he felt had seeped into his voice.

"My cat?" The girl turned her attention toward the feline. She looked back up at Inuyasha and replied "Just a cat." in the same tone that most people would've used to say "So, you're on acid?"

Inuyasha couldn't take anymore. He ruffled his hair violently and fought back the urge to start pulling it out. "Whatever." He stated, clearly aggravated, and began to rise from his seat once again. "Thanks for your time."

"Wait!" Sachiko jumped to her feet and practically pulled his shirt to keep him from leaving. "I haven't fixed your problem yet!"

Inuyasha was done playing games. "Look, we both know you're not really a psychic. Keep the money. I'm going home." Sachiko, for her part, was having none of it.

"I am so a psychic!" She seemed on the verge of having a tantrum. "How else would I know there's a ghost in this room?"

Inuyasha cast a glare at her from over his shoulder. "Lucky guess."

"I can _prove_ I'm a psychic." She bragged in that "so there" tone little girls were so expert at. Without waiting for his reply, she ran to a corner and began digging through a cardboard box. After a moment, Sachiko extracted what looked like a necklace and handed it to Inuyasha.

Upon closer examination, he saw that it was nothing more than a little silver bell tied to some string. "That's a spirit bell!" Sachiko said in her high pitched voice, as though she expected him to be impressed.

"And what is a spirit bell?" If she thought he was gonna pay for this, she had another thing coming.

"It's a super special device that lets you see and talk to ghosts. Actually, one ghost. Just put a lock of hair inside that bell and then have your ghost wear it. You'll be able to see and talk to it, but only you. Since this ghost is following you, I assume it won't be a problem for you to give it the bell." She said all this very matter-of-factly.

"So what, ghosts wear jewelry now?" Inuyasha remarked snidely.

"Dummy!" was Sachiko's intelligent and mature rebuttal. "That isn't jewelry. It's an authentic paranormal device." She stumbled over the word "authentic," which didn't exactly help improve Inuyasha's confidence in her.

"I'm not buying this."

"Take it! Once you've realized how magnificent I am, you can come see me again and I just might help you with your problem. Maybe. If you beg."

"Whatever." Inuyasha repeated as he turned to leave. He didn't even bother to check if Kagome was still around. _She knows where I live. She can catch up. I need a break. _


End file.
